Quote:
Originally Posted by Trincomalee  I was told that British aircraft began to carry something named "autolocus" that could "sniff out" the schnorkel ? |
Autolycus.
This was actually proposed by Professor R.V. Jones in November 1945 and was put into service with Coastal Command, but not a great success. It was indeed intended to home in on exhaust products emitted by combustion engines.
Most Secret War, 1979, R. V. Jones
One of the drawbacks of Schnorkel was when the valve closed to prevent sea water entry, the air pressure inside the sub decreased rapidly and was distressful to the crew, not sure if it damaged ears but quite possible. One boat used it to good effect when a electric motor burnt out filling the boat with horrid fumes. The engineer quickly arrange the Schnorkel to draw air from inside the boat into the diesels to clear the smoke. Not sure which book I read this in, possibly Wolfgang Hirschfeld's Secret Diary of a U-Boat (excellent book, by the way).
geoff